Bridge to Immortality
by Erzsebeth Bathory
Summary: After the death of her master, a vampire seeks retribution of some sort. When she finds the murderer, she learns that he is anything but the average mortal.


**Author's note:** To those of you who've read any of my previous works or just glanced at the fandoms I write for, you'll see I am not a stranger to the horror/supernatural world. It's also not my first time dipping into the horror aspects for Red Dead Redemption. I wrote zombie John Martson and had a blast with him, so this time I decided to take a twist of fate with a certain Arthur Morgan. Please let me know what you think!

* * *

"You are dying."

Even from where she stood with the darkness bathed all around them, save for the lone poorly lit gas lantern that hung on the wall, the infectious disease flowed through this man's blood and assaulted her nostrils. Had not modern medicine reached a point where they could cure this horrid thing? It made hunting more tasking for her kind. The taste of tainted lifeforce was foul and vomit inducing.

The gun was still aimed at her and the man's finger hovered over the trigger. He was ready to kill if need be as she was sure that the sun would rise in the morning. Yet in his bloodshot eyes, she could see he was thinking about those three words she spoke and how they impacted him.

"The dagger," she said in a low whisper. "You took a dagger from my master. It's mine since he is no longer with us."

The sick man didn't lower his defenses and he kept the gun raised at her.

"You mean mine," he corrected arrogantly. A smirk then formed on his rugged features. If completely healthy, she would have found him attractive… in a rough sort of way. Aristocrats were more to her liking, but he wasn't too hard to look upon. "Your 'master' tried to kill me after I followed the writing on the walls he left all over Saint Denis. Like he wanted to die, or maybe didn't think anybody would actually follow through with his poetic hogwash."

The vampire hissed at his boldness. What a fool. Even as he slowly wilted away before her, he dared to act as if nothing could touch him. What madness. His words, though, cut like a knife. He wasn't wrong about her sire. As promising as he made immortality to be, he wasn't so wise when it came to his own well-being.

"My master… He was an idiot so full of himself," she admitted rather shamefully. "While I'll be forever grateful for his gift to me, it doesn't change the fact that he was foolish enough to gloat about his crimes for the entire world to see. He truly didn't believe anybody would understand his meanings. That was how little he thought of humans."

Unable to help herself, she scrutinized the mortal's body. He used to be the burly type, one who would use his physical strength and cold words to force others to do what he wanted. Now he was a mere shadow of himself, one who struggled to maintain his dignity, but hid behind this ruthless façade that stood before her and was armed with a gun.

"You are more deserving of eternal life than he was," she acknowledged and it caused the man's brows to raise.

"Say what?"

"Take the gift of a new life through me. It's not something I offer just anyone." She raised one thin brow of her own. "Do you want to die?"

He shook his head but it was followed by a gruff laugh. At this point, he lowered his weapon but he didn't put it away. He didn't seem like he wanted to believe vampires existed, even though he destroyed one and took his dagger. "Not too sure anybody wants to die, ma'am, but a lot has happened in my life. I don't wanna live forever if it means people I love gotta keep on suffering. 'Sides, I only now realized that dying gave me different perspective on life. I talked to some folks 'bout my situation. I have to make the most of what's left and it's… it's… different. I need to stick around to help see reason for someone I love and respect before it's all over with."

How contemplative. Rarely did she come upon such a man who appeared brutish yet revealed so much emotional insight.

"You can still keep that perception you've gained but you can also continue to live," she offered. "This was a sign from your God, a punishment for the life you've led up to this point. I am a way out of that."

He turned away and coughed. It was gut wrenching, and she wouldn't have been surprised to see his disease-ridden lungs being hacked out onto the murky streets.

"I… I gotta…" He wheezed as he used the back of his hand to wipe his lips. Blood was smeared on his flesh and she actually turned away. Even so little of his blood produced an atrocious smell. "I gotta keep trying."

"Your tenacity is most admirable, if not unfavorable to your health," she remarked coolly as she brought a hand up to cover her nose. The vulgar aroma made her stomach churn in an unsettling manner unbecoming of a vampire. "You, sir, are quite unusual, and you fascinate me. Though perhaps your attitude may change if you became like myself. My master sounded wise beyond his years, but he left himself vulnerable if the likes of you were able to destroy him."

What an absolute waste to have this man die from disease. No, she decided. She wanted to—correction, she _needed_ to take a chance with him. She wasn't exactly sure if he would even survive the transition. In all of her years of ungodly existence, she hadn't heard of many sick humans coping with the change well, due to their body's handling of the stressful shift in nature. Physical wounds that leaned toward death, no matter how big or small, were easily repaired thanks to the healing properties of undead blood. Disease, on the other hand, was rather tricky. It was an internal battle of the mortal components versus the dark magic that was vampirism. If the person was too ill, then the outcome was most likely death. Even so, she had to save him. She would risk the disgusting taste that was sure to come. Her master's dagger meant nothing to her at this point.

"You will thank me later," she said cryptically before she turned her back to the man and seemingly walked into the shadows and disappeared entirely.

"Hey!" he called out, unsure if he actually just witnessed a woman vanish before his very eyes.

Suddenly, a pair of hot needles pierced his neck from behind. He cried out in shock. With a snarl, he tried to twist himself around in order to be free from the vice-like grip that coiled around him like a snake. Sharp gasps escaped his lungs and spots danced before his eyes.

"What're… uh…" he groaned before he lost the sensation in his legs and collapsed to the ground.

* * *

"Arthur? Arthur! Can you hear me?"

That familiar voice… the unusual meshed dialect of British and American English…

He squinted through closed eyelids as he came to.

"Here, careful now."

A pair of hands carefully aided with sitting him up off the ground. Fluttering his eyes open, Arthur was surprised to see Josiah Trelawny kneeling in front of him. A quick glance around revealed that he was in the same alleyway where he had that strange encounter with the woman… or whatever she was…

"Josiah," Arthur addressed the transient member of the gang as he noted the other's typical preference of wearing fancy duds. "The hell you doing here?"

"I should ask you the same thing," the mustached conman remarked. "I just happened to be on my way to fetch a coach and see Dutch, and as I was passing through these streets, I heard what sounded like you talking nonsense. Curiosity got the better of me, and while it would have fetched me into deep waters in the past, fortune smiled upon me as I discovered you in quite a… state!"

Arthur rubbed the back of his neck when he suddenly remembered the attack. Brief flashes of the struggle played from his memories. His attacker was strong, much stronger than any man he'd grappled with in the past. His fingers brushed along where he experienced that intense pain but he discovered nothing out of the ordinary. Talking in his sleep, though? He never had that issue before, at least not that he could recollect.

Josiah frowned at this gesture. "Are you alright? Shall we take you to the doctor?"

"Nah, no doctor." What was the point in seeing one when he already knew he was dying? A scratch or bite or whatever was nothing to him these days. What he was battling was nothing no doctor could help him with.

"Very well then."

Arthur was pleased that Josiah didn't push the matter any further. "Gonna see Dutch? Let's ride out together. I think it's about time I head back there anyhow."

"Splendid, Arthur!"

Once up on his feet, Arthur proceeded to follow Josiah out of the alley. He stole one last glance at the corner where he thought saw that woman vanish. There was no door or hole or trap of any sort she could've escaped through.

_Not sure what the hell that was about,_ Arthur thought wearily.

* * *

Many months passed without incident. Time moved at a crawl for those who lived forever, and the vampire went about her daily business, always in search of new victims to feed upon. Unlike her imprudent master, she didn't wallow openly about her kills. She never stayed long in one area, preferring to travel about from place to place and ensured that she disposed of the bodies or disguise them as animal attack victims. Her most recent ventures took her to New Hanover, particularly the area that provided dense forests and sheer mountains.

During her daytime sleep, a single spark ignited in the depths of her very being. New life was slowly blooming and it created a bond between herself and them. This excited her, but knew she couldn't leave until nightfall. She was eager to seek her new fledgling and deep down, she made the right choice.

As soon as the sun dipped into the horizon, she emerged from her hiding place. Nestled in a cave hidden from view, surrounded by thick trees, she stepped out into the new night and focused on the spark. The new connection tugged on her like a string attached to her finger. It pulled in one particular direction—north, past the Cumberland Forest.

With her supernatural abilities, she journeyed along the chilled night winds and she arrived at her destination much faster than any horse or carriage would. She found herself before a rather lovely but curious home built into a hillside. Even from the outside, she detected no heartbeat behind the home's sealed door. Still, this was not her last stop, but rather, the lovely grave that rested behind the house and up on the hill itself.

Whoever constructed the burial site had an obvious fondness for its occupant. As she approached it, she saw that flowers bloomed around the grave marker with the words "Arthur Morgan" etched into it.

"Mr. Morgan," the woman murmured. Finally, a name for the face. Normally she would've known everything about a human as soon as she bit into them, but the disease that ravished Arthur's body at the time prevented her from knowing much. It had been like trying to see through a fierce rainstorm where the water fell like heavy curtains, thwarting her from seeing much of anything. Her bite lasted only seconds, but it was enough to infect him with her blood. That was all she needed to accomplish.

A sharp breeze blew between her and the grave. The flowers and the grass shook from nature's response to the arrival of darkness and the birth of new life.

Then, a knotted hand shot up from the burial mound and it was followed by an arm covered in a tattered sleeve. The vampire watched, pleased, as Arthur desperately clawed and crawled out of his grave. His skin was deathly pale and he remained thin due to the disease's toll on his mortal self. His clothes were in a sorry state and she made a note to have them promptly replaced. Superficial nonsense aside, the vampire was ecstatic.

Arthur had a wild look in his eyes as he sat against the marker that bore his name. He breathed heavily but didn't notice the lack of breath from his lips. It was merely out of habit for him to breathe. He wasn't sure where he was or how he ended up in the ground. He struggled to recall what happened to where he landed up six feet under. Nothing was making sense. Names he tried to conjure failed to reach him. Faces were unfortunately a blur as well. He was absolutely lost.

The vampire kneeled in front of Arthur. She presented a kind, motherly smile to him.

"It's all right now," she said soothingly. "I'm here to help you."

Arthur stared at her in confusion. The phantom ache in his neck throbbed for the first time since his burial.

"You…" he began with uncertainty. "We're…"

"We're family," the vampire stated, because it was true. Her blood was in Arthur, and she would be responsible for him as any mother would for a child under her wing. "Come, Arthur. It's time for you to feed."

A hot flare burned inside his throat and he winced.

"Feed," the vampire stated calmly. "You have to feed. It'll help you get better once you do. Come, I'll show you how."

Arthur watched as she held out a hand to him. A brief flash of memory emerged from his fragmented mind. He saw himself in a dark alley pointing a gun at this same woman for some reason. A blink of an eye later, that memory was gone, replaced by the plodding hunger that refused to be sated.

Wordlessly, the outlaw took the vampire's hand and without knowing it, he was at the beginning of a brand-new chapter in his life.


End file.
